The present invention relates generally to fasteners, and, more particularly, to a fastener which fastens two or more tandemly-positioned surfaces theretogether, such as, without way of limitation, opposing surfaces of a housing assembly for an electronic device.
Advancements in the field of radio electronics have permitted the introduction and commercialization of an ever-increasing array of radio communication apparatus. Advancements in electronic circuitry design have also permitted increased miniaturization of the electronic circuitry comprising such radio communication apparatus. As a result, an ever-increasing array of radio communication apparatus comprised of ever-smaller electronic circuitry has permitted such radio communication apparatus to be utilized more conveniently in an increased number of applications.
A radio transceiver, such as a radiotelephone utilized in a cellular, communication system, is one example of radio communication apparatus which has been miniaturized to be utilized conveniently in an increased number of applications. Additional efforts to miniaturize further the electronic circuitry of similar such radio transceivers, as well as other radio communication apparatus, are being made. Such further miniaturization of the radio transceivers will further increase the convenience of utilization of such apparatus, and will permit such apparatus to be utilized in further increased numbers of applications.
Pursuant to such efforts to miniaturize further the electronic circuitry of such radio transceivers (as well as other radio communication apparatus), size minimization of the electronic circuitry is a critical design goal during design of such circuitry.
Concomitant with the increased miniaturization of electronic circuitry is a corresponding reduction in the physical dimensions of the housings in which such electronic circuitry is housed as well as other mechanical structure associated therewith.
Initially, size reductions in the housing and associated mechanical structure was accomplished by simple, scale reduction of the dimensions of already-existing structures. However, beyond certain size reductions, such simple, scale reduction increasingly becomes impractical. Beyond a certain point, structural limitations of the materials comprising such structure cannot be reduced further without comprising the structural integrity thereof.
For instance, the housings of many such electronic devices are comprised of a thermoplastic material. The walls of such housings must be greater than minimal thicknesses to ensure the structural integrity of such walls, and the housings formed therefrom. Other housings and associated mechanical structures comprised of other materials suffer from similar, size-reduction limitations.
Many conventional, housing constructions are comprised of a front housing portion and a rear housing portion. Typically, the electronic circuitry comprising the electronic device is disposed upon a circuit board (or several circuit boards) and the circuit board is mounted or otherwise affixed to the rear housing portion of the conventional, housing construction. Once affixed in position, the front housing portion is then placed over the circuit board and a fastening mechanism fastens the front and rear housing portions theretogether, thereby to enclose in supportive containment the circuit board within the housing construction.
The fastening mechanism by which the front and rear housing portions of the housing construction are fastened theretogether may be comprised of any of many various designs. Most simply, threaded shaft members may be utilized to affix the housing portions theretogether. Also, and particularly when the housing construction is formed of a thermoplastic material, the fastening mechanism may be formed integral with the abutting edge surfaces of the sidewalls of the respective housing portions.
However, due to the aforementioned size reduction in the housings of many electronic devices, existing fastening mechanisms for fastening portions of such housings theretogether cannot be utilized when the dimensions of housings are reduced beyond a certain level.
Also, additional innovations, both electronic and mechanical in nature, are increasingly being incorporated into the constructions of such electronic devices. Such additional innovations provide such electronic devices with additional features to increase the convenience of use of the devices. Incorporation of such innovations into such electronic devices makes even more challenging the ongoing design goal of reducing the dimensions of the housings and other mechanical structure of the electronic devices. Design of fastening mechanisms which fasten opposing portions of a housing construction theretogether is accordingly also made more challenging as increased amounts of structure is to be housed in increasingly-miniaturized housings.
With particular reference to a radio transceiver comprising a cellular radiotelephone, disclosed in the aforementioned, copending patent application is structure, referred to as a card reader assembly. Such structure is housed within the housing of the radiotelephone, and is operative to receive a card, substantially similar in dimensions to a conventional, credit card. The card contains information which, once received by the card reader assembly, may be utilized by the radiotelephone for any of various purposes. For instance, the information contained on such card could include an identification number to be utilized for billing purposes to bill a phone call made through the radiotelephone to a particular billing address. Because the card having the identification number can be removed from one radiotelephone, and placed in another, calls made from more than one radiotelephone may be billed to a single billing address.
Such a card reader assembly incorporated to form a portion of a radiotelephone must be mounted within the housing assembly of the radiotelephone in a precise orientation. Also, the housing assembly must be adapted to permit the card reader assembly to receive the card to obtain the desired information therefrom. That is to say, the card reader assembly must be accessible from the exterior of the housing assembly. To position precisely the card reader assembly within the housing assembly, the card reader assembly must be fastened to the housing assembly to affix the card reader assembly in position thereby, and in the desired orientation so that the card reader may be accessed from the exterior of the housing assembly.
The housing assembly, comprised of a front portion and a rear portion, as noted above, must be fastened theretogether by the fastening mechanisms at locations along the abutting surfaces which form the interface between the two housing portions to ensure structural integrity of the housing assembly. Such fastening mechanisms which fasten the front and rear housing portions theretogether must therefore be positioned at spaced intervals along the interface between the two housing portions.
With the continual reduction in the physical dimensions of the housing and other mechanical structure of the radiotelephone, care must be exercised during design of the radiotelephone to ensure that both the fastening mechanisms which fasten the card reader assembly (or any other substrate) positioned within the housing assembly to such housing assembly, and the fastening mechanisms which fasten the front and rear housing portions of the housing assembly theretogether may both be appropriately positioned in a non-interfering relationship.
As the physical dimensions of the housing assembly are reduced, radiotelephone design in which such fastening mechanism may be positioned in a non-interfering arrangement becomes increasingly difficult. As the thicknesses of the housing surfaces and sidewalls are reduced to minimal thicknesses, as mentioned previously, conventional fasteners cannot be used as channels previously formed in the housing structure to receive such fasteners of adequate depths can no longer be made. Therefore, the constraints of the type of fastening mechanism which may be utilized to fasten the card reader assembly (or, again, any other substrate) in position within a housing assembly are the same as the previously-mentioned constraints placed on the fastening mechanisms which fasten front and rear housing portions of the housing assembly theretogether.
What is needed, therefore, is a fastener of minimal dimensions which fastens two surfaces theretogether.
What is additionally needed is a fastener which, not only fastens the two surfaces theretogether, but which additionally fastens a substrate between such two surfaces.